Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush argued that raising the national minimum wage would actually increase income inequality during an event on Tuesday, Think Progress reported.

“We need to leave it to the private sector,” Bush said. “I think state minimum wages are fine. The federal government shouldn’t be doing this.”

The prospective Republican presidential candidate dismissed the push for increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour as “one of those poll-driven deals.” Democrats have largely embraced the move, and supporters of the higher wage have argued that states where it has been approved have seen increases in job growth.

But Bush argued that a national wage increase would lead to more job losses among lower-income workers.

“We’re moving to a world that is sticky in the ends, where it’s harder for people in poverty to move up and where the rich are doing really well and the middle is getting squeezed,” he said. “And any idea that makes, that perpetuates that is one that I would oppose, and I think this minimum wage idea is exactly one of those things.”

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Arturo R. García is the managing editor at Racialicious.com. He is based in San Diego, California and has written for both print and broadcast media, including contributions to GlobalComment.com, The Root and Comment Is Free. Follow him on Twitter at @ABoyNamedArt